Eli: Hey all! Finals are over! So, IrishRaven X, this means more story,
right? Thelma, did the last chapter not suit you? Sorry, hopefully this one
will. Unwritten Memoir or Kevin Smith rocks my World (you change your name
every time I look ;) Remember, you never know what training he may think
Bethany needs. (PS More witchblade 2!) You're welcome, Chaosti. Thank you
to Alaskantiger, Fae rain, and Mako-Chan Wolf for reviewing. Thank you
everyone for reviewing. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Vicky helped Gracie put on her jacket. Gracie was only half awake and was making things especially difficult this morning. "C'mon, Gracie. We have to leave in five minutes. We can't be late."
"Why not?" Gracie whined as Vicky zipped up her jacket.
"Because then you won't be able to see you Daddy before he leaves." Vicky told her for what seemed liked the hundredth time that morning. She didn't want to do anything Vicky said.
"Do we have to see him?" Gracie muttered. When he had first told her he was moving away, she had been sad. Really sad. But the more she thought about it, it made her angry. She was furious that he was leaving her and Mommy behind. She wasn't so sure she wanted to see him anymore; he only made her upset each time.
"Yes, of course. You told him you would be there before he leaves. You promised." Vicky reminded her. Gracie sighed and nodded. Vicky led her out of the house and into the car.
"Is there going to be a lot of traffic?" Gracie asked.
"There's always a lot of traffic." Vicky answered.
"But it's really, really early."
"Well, maybe not too much traffic. You want me to turn on the radio?"
"Nu uh." Gracie looked over at her mother. "I don't want to go anymore."
"Well, I'm sorry sweetie, but you have to." Vicky told her. "You know your Daddy would be upset if he didn't get to say good-bye to you before he left. And you don't know how long it will be before you see him again." She explained.
"Mommy, why do we say good-bye?" She asked.
Vicky glanced at her, not sure how to explain it. "We say good-bye to, uh; we say good-bye to have closure. We say good-bye to be polite. And we say good-bye so that we can start thinking about the next time we will meet again."
Gracie seemed to accept the explanation. Vicky drove on in silence for a few minutes, until Gracie said "Mommy, I don't want closure, I don't want to be polite, and don't want to see Daddy again. So do I still have to go say good-bye?"
"Grace Clarice Po McCarthy!" She exclaimed. "Your father expects you to be there, so not another word on this. We are going, and that is final." Gracie shut her mouth and looked out the window.
Vicky calmed down and added. "Gracie, I know you are mad at you Dad, but this is the last time you are going to see him for a long time. Can't you forget that your angry at him for a little while?" She got no reply.
The closer they got to the airport, the more planes she could see. She kept hoping that they would be late so that they would miss him. Vicky parked in the car and got out. Gracie followed sullenly.
It was a long walk from the parking garage to the place where they had said they would meet Jake. Gracie kept walking slower and slower, despite Vicky pulling on her arm to hurry up. When they saw him standing there waiting for them, Gracie stopped walking all together. They were about ten feet away.
It didn't matter, though. Jake came toward them. He picked Gracie up off the ground and gave her a hug.
"Hey, baby. I missed you. How have you been?" He asked her excitedly.
"Okay." She mumbled. She barely hugged him back and wouldn't cling to him, so he had to put her down. He kneeled down to her level and tried to keep her attention.
"I'm really going to miss you while I'm gone. I'll try to call everyday to see how you are doing. I'll try to come back as soon as possible, alright?"
"Fine." He gave her another hug that she didn't bother to return this time. When he let her go, she pulled away from him and went to go sit down at one of the nearby chairs. Jake looked at Vicky confused.
"What's wrong with her?"
Vicky shrugged. "She's angry at you."
"Why?"
"You're leaving, Jake. She doesn't want you to leave."
"But I have to. It's for my job. I've already explained it to her."
"Jake, a seven year old girl is not going to understand why her father is leaving her, no matter how you explain it. She's mad at you, and she has a perfect right to be."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You're leaving your daughter for your job. I would be mad at you, too."
"You make it sound like I want to leave. I don't. But my job-" Vicky cut him off.
"Your job, you job. It's all about the job with you, Jake. That's the problem. Yes, your job is important. Yes, it is time consuming, but so is your daughter. And if you cared about her as much as you say you do, you wouldn't put the job first." Vicky bit her lip as the seating announcements started being called out. "That would be you."
"Yeah."
"Take care." She told him as he grabbed his bag.
"You too." He replied. He went over to Gracie, who turned away from him in her seat. He moved her head so that she was looking at him. He kissed her forehead. "Good bye, Gracie." And he left.
Vicky went over to Gracie, who was now crying quietly. She picked her up and tried to calm her down. "Sh, it's all right. Stop crying now." She told her quietly. Vicky carried her all they way back to the car. Gracie was silent for the rest of the day.
-The Next Day-
Gracie sat down on the floor in her room, dissecting one of her 'My Little Pony' stuff animals. She had just removed a leg when her mother knocked on her door. "Gracie?" She came in to check on her.
"Hi Mommy." She said sadly as she flung the now decapitated leg over her shoulder.
"Sweetie, I have to go to work today."
"Can I go to Aunt Lee's house?"
"I'll cal and find out. You should start packing, though; if you are gonna go over there." Gracie nodded and went downstairs to go get her backpack. The door bell rang while she was in the hall.
"Gracie, peek through the window before you open the door. You know who you can let in and who you can't let in." Vicky told her from the top of the stairs. Gracie looked through the window and blinked. She couldn't believe it.
"Mommy!" Gracie shouted. Vicky came down the stairs, trying to get ready for work at the same time.
"Who is it?" She asked.
"Open the door!" Gracie told her. Vicky opened the door to find Jake outside.
"Jake?" She asked, shocked. She dropped the brush she had been holding in her hand.
"Yeah?"
"What, when, why? I thought you left for L.A." She asked, trying to get her thought in order.
"Well, I did. But I couldn't stay. I had to come back." He told her. Gracie picked up the brush and handed it to her mommy.
"So does this mean you're not going away?" Gracie asked. He nodded. She smiled and flung herself at him. "Daddy!"
"There's my girl."
"Well, I have to get to work. Think you can baby sit till I get home?" She asked him. He nodded again.
"Sure." He put Gracie back down. She started pulling him up the stairs. "So what have you been up to today?" He asked her.
"I'm giving Twinkle an autopsy. I think she died of the plague." She said seriously.
"Which plague?"
"Whichever one was around last." Vicky smiled at the sight before she finished getting ready and left for work.
Coming Attractions:
Mama's Girl
Author Note: I'd like to announce now, before anyone gets there hopes up, that this doesn't change anything between Vicky and Jake. They are still divorced and will be staying divorced. Just wanted to let everyone know that before one of the next chapters.
Vicky helped Gracie put on her jacket. Gracie was only half awake and was making things especially difficult this morning. "C'mon, Gracie. We have to leave in five minutes. We can't be late."
"Why not?" Gracie whined as Vicky zipped up her jacket.
"Because then you won't be able to see you Daddy before he leaves." Vicky told her for what seemed liked the hundredth time that morning. She didn't want to do anything Vicky said.
"Do we have to see him?" Gracie muttered. When he had first told her he was moving away, she had been sad. Really sad. But the more she thought about it, it made her angry. She was furious that he was leaving her and Mommy behind. She wasn't so sure she wanted to see him anymore; he only made her upset each time.
"Yes, of course. You told him you would be there before he leaves. You promised." Vicky reminded her. Gracie sighed and nodded. Vicky led her out of the house and into the car.
"Is there going to be a lot of traffic?" Gracie asked.
"There's always a lot of traffic." Vicky answered.
"But it's really, really early."
"Well, maybe not too much traffic. You want me to turn on the radio?"
"Nu uh." Gracie looked over at her mother. "I don't want to go anymore."
"Well, I'm sorry sweetie, but you have to." Vicky told her. "You know your Daddy would be upset if he didn't get to say good-bye to you before he left. And you don't know how long it will be before you see him again." She explained.
"Mommy, why do we say good-bye?" She asked.
Vicky glanced at her, not sure how to explain it. "We say good-bye to, uh; we say good-bye to have closure. We say good-bye to be polite. And we say good-bye so that we can start thinking about the next time we will meet again."
Gracie seemed to accept the explanation. Vicky drove on in silence for a few minutes, until Gracie said "Mommy, I don't want closure, I don't want to be polite, and don't want to see Daddy again. So do I still have to go say good-bye?"
"Grace Clarice Po McCarthy!" She exclaimed. "Your father expects you to be there, so not another word on this. We are going, and that is final." Gracie shut her mouth and looked out the window.
Vicky calmed down and added. "Gracie, I know you are mad at you Dad, but this is the last time you are going to see him for a long time. Can't you forget that your angry at him for a little while?" She got no reply.
The closer they got to the airport, the more planes she could see. She kept hoping that they would be late so that they would miss him. Vicky parked in the car and got out. Gracie followed sullenly.
It was a long walk from the parking garage to the place where they had said they would meet Jake. Gracie kept walking slower and slower, despite Vicky pulling on her arm to hurry up. When they saw him standing there waiting for them, Gracie stopped walking all together. They were about ten feet away.
It didn't matter, though. Jake came toward them. He picked Gracie up off the ground and gave her a hug.
"Hey, baby. I missed you. How have you been?" He asked her excitedly.
"Okay." She mumbled. She barely hugged him back and wouldn't cling to him, so he had to put her down. He kneeled down to her level and tried to keep her attention.
"I'm really going to miss you while I'm gone. I'll try to call everyday to see how you are doing. I'll try to come back as soon as possible, alright?"
"Fine." He gave her another hug that she didn't bother to return this time. When he let her go, she pulled away from him and went to go sit down at one of the nearby chairs. Jake looked at Vicky confused.
"What's wrong with her?"
Vicky shrugged. "She's angry at you."
"Why?"
"You're leaving, Jake. She doesn't want you to leave."
"But I have to. It's for my job. I've already explained it to her."
"Jake, a seven year old girl is not going to understand why her father is leaving her, no matter how you explain it. She's mad at you, and she has a perfect right to be."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You're leaving your daughter for your job. I would be mad at you, too."
"You make it sound like I want to leave. I don't. But my job-" Vicky cut him off.
"Your job, you job. It's all about the job with you, Jake. That's the problem. Yes, your job is important. Yes, it is time consuming, but so is your daughter. And if you cared about her as much as you say you do, you wouldn't put the job first." Vicky bit her lip as the seating announcements started being called out. "That would be you."
"Yeah."
"Take care." She told him as he grabbed his bag.
"You too." He replied. He went over to Gracie, who turned away from him in her seat. He moved her head so that she was looking at him. He kissed her forehead. "Good bye, Gracie." And he left.
Vicky went over to Gracie, who was now crying quietly. She picked her up and tried to calm her down. "Sh, it's all right. Stop crying now." She told her quietly. Vicky carried her all they way back to the car. Gracie was silent for the rest of the day.
-The Next Day-
Gracie sat down on the floor in her room, dissecting one of her 'My Little Pony' stuff animals. She had just removed a leg when her mother knocked on her door. "Gracie?" She came in to check on her.
"Hi Mommy." She said sadly as she flung the now decapitated leg over her shoulder.
"Sweetie, I have to go to work today."
"Can I go to Aunt Lee's house?"
"I'll cal and find out. You should start packing, though; if you are gonna go over there." Gracie nodded and went downstairs to go get her backpack. The door bell rang while she was in the hall.
"Gracie, peek through the window before you open the door. You know who you can let in and who you can't let in." Vicky told her from the top of the stairs. Gracie looked through the window and blinked. She couldn't believe it.
"Mommy!" Gracie shouted. Vicky came down the stairs, trying to get ready for work at the same time.
"Who is it?" She asked.
"Open the door!" Gracie told her. Vicky opened the door to find Jake outside.
"Jake?" She asked, shocked. She dropped the brush she had been holding in her hand.
"Yeah?"
"What, when, why? I thought you left for L.A." She asked, trying to get her thought in order.
"Well, I did. But I couldn't stay. I had to come back." He told her. Gracie picked up the brush and handed it to her mommy.
"So does this mean you're not going away?" Gracie asked. He nodded. She smiled and flung herself at him. "Daddy!"
"There's my girl."
"Well, I have to get to work. Think you can baby sit till I get home?" She asked him. He nodded again.
"Sure." He put Gracie back down. She started pulling him up the stairs. "So what have you been up to today?" He asked her.
"I'm giving Twinkle an autopsy. I think she died of the plague." She said seriously.
"Which plague?"
"Whichever one was around last." Vicky smiled at the sight before she finished getting ready and left for work.
Coming Attractions:
Mama's Girl
Author Note: I'd like to announce now, before anyone gets there hopes up, that this doesn't change anything between Vicky and Jake. They are still divorced and will be staying divorced. Just wanted to let everyone know that before one of the next chapters.